East Bay legislators say they're going to incorporate the findings into bills to protect residents.

Kevin P. O'Connor Herald News Staff Reporter @HNKPO

PROVIDENCE — The Legislature inched closer to a decision on tolling the Sakonnet River Bridge on Wednesday with the release of a final report by a legislative study commission.

The report gave no recommendations, only findings.

The findings will be incorporated in bills to be written and introduced by individual legislators, according to state Rep. John Edwards of Tiverton, a member of the commission.

"We will be working on this during the weekend," Edwards said. "We will take our individual recommendations and put them together into a bill. We have to get something before the Legislature, or get an extension, by April 1."

The current 10-cent toll on the Sakonnet River Bridge expires April 1. After that, the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority will be able to impose the tolls it proposed a year ago. Those tolls range from 75 cents for cars with an in-state E-ZPass transponder up to $5.25 for cars from outside Rhode Island that do not have a transponder.

Edwards said he will work with state Sens. Louis DiPalma and Christopher Ottiano, both East Bay representatives, to come up with a co-sponsored bill on the matter. Both DiPalma and Ottiano have spoken out against tolls on the bridge.

RITBA planned to collect tolls on the bridge after it took control of the span in September 2012, when the newly built bridge was opened.

The tolls were blocked by the Legislature in May of last year, but in late June, during one of the last days of the 2013 session, the tolls were revived and the study commission was appointed. The 10-cent toll began on Aug. 19, but it is collected only from cars with transponders. There are no toll workers on the bridge.

Edwards said he has read the recommendations made by DiPalma and Ottiano and that the three are close to agreement on a bill to avoid tolls.

"Having the same end game in mind is critical to making this work," he said. "The end game is coming up with a plan to fund infrastructure for the next 10 years without a toll on the Sakonnet River Bridge and without increasing tolls on the Newport Bridge."

Most of the money for maintaining the state's bridges and roads come from the 33-cent per gallon gasoline tax. The amount collected from that tax is falling because people drive fewer miles in more efficient cars.

In the meantime, the 1,100 miles of road the state maintains are listed by federal standards as being in poor condition. Of the state's 763 bridges, only one-third are listed in "fair" condition. The rest are worse, the state study showed.

The state would need $1.15 billion to bring its roads and bridges into good repair over the next 10 years, the study said.

Edwards' plan calls for the elimination of the RITBA, with the state Department of Transportation taking over management of the Newport, Jamestown, Mount Hope and Sakonnet River Bridge.

Like DiPalma, Edwards also recommends diverting money the state plans to put into a surplus account into road and bridge maintenance. He also recommends making infrastructure maintenance a separate line item in the DOT budget.

DiPalma called for increased fees on car inspections with the money dedicated to road and bridge maintenance. He also recommends moving the gas tax to the wholesale level and indexing it to inflation.

"We need a solution that is sustainable, diverse, equitable and fair," DiPalma said. "That is our goal with this."